


Post-It

by CaliTacui



Category: New Girl
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Growth, Humor, Love, Post-it Notes, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-06-05 14:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15172874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaliTacui/pseuds/CaliTacui
Summary: A certain 17 year old Nick Miller will not leave Jessica Day alone. How will she ever focus while post-it notes are being thrown at her left and right? He was definitely first on her hit list. Nick x Jess :)





	1. beginnings

chapter one

"Remind me why seniors couldn't have at least twenties day of school this year?" The brunette complained once she heard a small 'hello' on the other side. "It's going to be absolute hell without you here, and I know I'm bound to get Senioritis within the next couple of months, and I'll start failing everything, and then live on the streets after High School."

There was a brief pause before the person on the line replied. " _Are you done?_ "

She gaped and furrowed her brows defensively. "Not even close. I'm so mad at you. Or your parents. Or you. I hate that you're at another school this year."

" _Please_." The voice replied with annoyance in their tone. " _It's not even high school. It's this Modeling-schooling-internship thing I signed up for over the summer. You know this_!" Another brief pause. "Oh wait _, I forgot. You can barely remember what you had for breakfast yesterday morning_."

"Not true."

This time, the pause fell longer. The brunette stared in confusion as she waited for a response. She wouldn't even be surprised if her best friend had hung up on her already.

"... _Well? What did you have_?"

Now was it the Benedict eggs.. Or the toasted English muffin with butter on-

-"That's not the point!" She yelled into the phone as she huffed. "Cece, High School has been the death of me for four years. Now, imagine what college has in store for me. You'll be the one picking out the designs on my gravestone." Jessica complained in an over-exaggerated groan, resting one hand on her face.

She felt Cece shake her head in disappointment. " _Okay, seriously morbid. Jessica damn Day, get it together. You're going to get out of whatever chair you're sitting in_ ,-" Jessica frowned, glancing down at her spot. "- _you're gonna march into that first class which starts in two minutes, and you're gonna suck it up_."

Jess sighed and stood up from the chair beneath her and smoothed out her skirt. "You know what, Cece? You're right. Maybe this is the year I really focus. Maybe I'll have a consistent honor roll streak this year." She said out loud, more to herself. It was Cece's turn to sigh this time.

" _Go into that classroom and get your education._ " The voice snapped over the phone, Jessica almost flinching at the harshness of the tone. She casually strolled in, picking a seat at one of the desks and staring straight ahead. Wonderful. This class was gonna be such a blast.

Looking to her right, she saw a bunch of those typical mainstream posters on the wall. Honestly, why does every teacher think they'd fit in by putting posters that say " **KEEP CALM AND ASK THE TEACHER.** " It's understandable of their attempts of staying relevant, or in their words, "keeping it real", but come on. 2012 memes are dead.

Jess glanced away in disgust as she looked to her left at some seniors walking in. The same, greasy faces she had grown to tolerate over the amount of years. All she could think of was ew. Everyone began taking their seats as the brunette quietly took out her pencil case, revealing all the nice and sharpened pencils she kept in tact.

"Those probably won't last too long." A girl chuckled, who happened to be sitting a seat next to her. "You'll lose those by the end of the year." Jess decided to laugh along with her as she took one out.

"Actually, I have kept these since my sophomore year. I'm very strict about my pencils!" She tried to humor back, but instead of getting a laugh, she received an odd stare. The brunette sunk in her seat. Well, this year was gonna suck.

A couple of minutes into class, there was a loud knock on the teacher's door. As they went over to get it, the door flung open and slightly hit the wall. The boy who came into a clear view had a smile on his face as he took a step inside.

Jessica wobbled her pencil back and forth as she studied the new person she'd never seen before. Intrigue filled her mind as she noticed his brown eyes and thick eyebrows. Maybe the year wasn't going to suck-as much.

"Hey, I'm Nick Miller, it's nice to meet-" The teacher cut him off with a harsh shush noise and an obnoxious wave of hand movements.

"I will _not_ tolerate talking in my class." Nick Miller raised a brow quizzically as he tried to talk again, but was shushed before a word was uttered. "The less we know, the better."

Nick shook his head as he made his way over to the seats. "What a nice welcoming committee." He whispered. Suddenly, a group of _SHUSHES_ swarmed around the room, making his eyes widen in a mixture of confusion and frustration. Eyeing a seat right behind a pretty brunette, a smile almost lifted his lips as he made his way over, resting his bag down.

When the boy took a seat behind Jess, the girl ever so slightly made a subtle movement to see, but ended up being incredibly obvious. The two ended up meeting eye contact and Jess mentally cursed. Instead of saying hello like any other normal person, she awkwardly moved her hand side to side. It was believed to be a wave of some kind.

Arching a brow up again, his confusion growing, he mirrored her movements. "Shalom." Nick made his fingers form a peace sign as he pressed them against his lips, kissing them and lifting his hand up in the air. It was Jess's turn to be confused this time, because all she could do was stare at him and wonder what the hell shalom meant. At her loss of words and lack of ideas for a response, she muttered an uh-huh, and turned back around in her seat.

Seriously Jess? _Uh-huh_? What a brilliant first impression. She mentally complained, slumping in her chair. Minutes began to pass as the class finally began to learn about the wonders of mathematics. Jessica tried her hardest to focus on the board rather than thinking about the boy behind her. The boy who wouldn't making humming noises. Clicking his pen. Focus, Jess. Focus.

Although these distractions were driving her crazy, Jess didn't want any beef this year-especially with a new person who didn't even know her name. Distracting her out of her thoughts, a note was thrown onto her desk. She almost flinched at the reaction, but rolled her eyes as she unwrapped the post-it note.

**Shalom is just the Jewish way of saying hello and goodbye.**

The brunette crinkled her brows but nodded understandably as she crinkled up the note and tossed it in her opened backpack. A few minutes later, another note was tossed onto the desk. God dammit. He wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

**You aren't going to introduce yourself? I was going to before, but you know how that worked out. I'm Nick.**

Her lips fought a small smirk as she read the words on the note. His handwriting was pretty good for a boy. After all, Jess felt that most guy's handwriting was in no way legible. She set it aside and tucked her brown hair behind her ears, really trying to understand this math, dammit.

It didn't take long before another came flying through.

**I mean, I know I'm going classy with the post-it notes. But come on, it's not possible to have crappy service. This is practically air mail.**

Jess sighed and reached down into her backpack to find a bunch of new post-it notes that she thought were going to be used productively. Well, screw that whole idea.

_I'm Jessica Day, but I go by Jess. Are you trying to fail this class? It's only first period._

She gently folded the note in half and tossed it behind her, hoping it would fall onto the desk and not on the floor. That would just be plain embarrassing.

**I didn't really understand math for the first eleven years of my life, so why try for the last? It's nice to meet you, Jessica.**

_Don't you want to get into your dream college? It's imperative to get a beneficial education, Miller._

**So you did hear that occurrence from before! Glad to know I had your attention :)**

_You didn't answer my question._

It was already halfway through the class, and the only thing Jessica truly accomplished was writing her name. Nick Miller was seriously gonna be the death of her. Or worse, her future. He will not stand in the way of-

**I'm not too worried. It's not like I don't try at all, I just wait until halfway through the quarter to get it all together. How do you think I handled junior year?**

_I wouldn't know. I wasn't there. Now pay attention!_

**No.**

_Yes._

**No.**

Just because you underlined no doesn't mean you made a difference. Now stop throwing notes at me!

**~~No~~ **

I'm ignoring you. Now go focus.

_Rrrrriiiiinggggg_

The bell rang for first period to end and for second period to begin within a few minutes. Jessica turned her head toward Nick and glared while he smiled in amusement. He was so annoying. This boy actually had satisfaction from bothering her. He'll see what's coming to him. As Jess watched him walk out of the class, she shook her head and picked up her backpack.

Game on, _Miller_.


	2. development

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nick won't clue Jess in on his new chapter. dundundun. x

chapter two

" _Jess, stop exaggerating. It probably wasn't that horrible. Remember when we talked about over-dramatizing?"_  Cece replied over the phone. Jess sighed and bowed her head. She could practically feel her friend rolling her eyes. How couldn't she complain? First period was already annoying enough with that boy throwing post it notes from behind her. The rest of the day after that was one unfortunate blur. A blur consisting of people interrupting the teachers, 'oohing' every time someone has to see another teacher, or  _note tossing from that stupid boy._ Did she mention that already?

Jessica rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. "Cece, there's 179 more days left of this. I could barely handle the first day, it was agonizing."

Cece furrowed her brows at her best friend's complaints. This was such a first world problem and the least of her future worries. " _Hey Jessica, remember when you said you wanted to be a teacher?"_

"Yeah?"

_"Do you still want to be a teacher?"_

"Of course."

 _"Do you even know what you're complaining about? You're going to be spending more than 180 days in a school someday. So_ stop _it."_

Before Jess could truly retaliate, she closed her mouth and nodded her head understandably. "Now I know why I need you around."

She heard a chuckle over the line.  _"What would you do without me?"_

"Live."

And then the call dropped. Jess chuckled and placed her cellphone in her jeans pocket as she headed off to school again.

Opening the doors to a high school felt like opening doors to a zoo. The minute one walked in, they'd hear the noises of screeching birds and monkeys. In human translation, that meant the popular girls chatting about and the jocks, well, being jocks. Jessica smoothed out her sundress as she walked into school, already feeling oils gather onto her face.  _I swear, the school's air runs on teen angst and sweat molecules, t_ he brunette thought to herself, walking over to her locker.

Twisting the lock to the correct numbers, she opened it to grab some books and place into her backpack. After getting what she needed, Jess smiled and adjusted her glasses. Maybe it was gonna be a decent day after all. She closed the locker that was still swung open to a certain brown eyed hippy looking boy. Jessica arched a brow as she crossed her arms at the sight in front of her. Since she didn't get the time to really study his appearance yesterday, today's look seemed a little more bizarre.

His brown hair fell below his ears and he had a five o'clock shadow. Jessica did a subtle glance down and noticed he was wearing dark khakis and some sort of tie-dye shirt. Although he could use some assessing on his wardrobe choices, he had that natural glow-a certain attractiveness about his face. The brunette couldn't quite put her finger on it. Instead of coming out and saying something nice-because that would be too predictable-she decided to have a little fun.

"Are you apart of some boy band?" Jessica wondered out loud. "From the 60's?" She tilted her head with sarcastic curiosity.

"Are you dressing like the teachers now?" Nick retaliated, his smile growing. She glared at him as she gripped her books harder against her chest.

"This is an  _Erdem_  dress, thank you very much. A teacher probably wouldn't wear this to school."

"Neither would a student."

Jess squinted her eyes at the idiotic boy, stepping and turning away to go to her first period.

Nick smiled as she sauntered into their class. " _Post_  ya later!"

She was gonna lose it. He was the  _first_ on her hit list.

* * *

And thus, the flying notes begun again.

**Hey May _day_!**

_Mayday?_

**You know, Mayday? The distress signals that were used by ships and aircraft?**

_Wow, a pun of my last name. You're not funny. No one is laughing._

**That's because you're the only person reading this.**

_Pay attention to the teacher! She's trying to educate your hollow mind._

**Something tells me you care about teachers.**

Jess frowned at Nick's last message. How can he just figure that? That's incredibly random. Was it because of her reaction before when he made the comment about the dress? With curiosity, she continued to reply.

_What makes you say that?_

**You give me that whole teacher vibe. It could be the way you dress.**

Her cheeks burned at this. The way she  _dressed?_ That's crazy. Just because she wore skirts and dresses? That does not equal teacher material. He threw another post it onto the table.

**Don't get me wrong, you don't look bad in a sundress. ;)**

Nick heard her huff in her desk, and he knew he'd succeeded in affecting her.

_Can it, Miller._

**And the way you talk & write with such classy remarks and vocabulary.**

_It's called being educated. I don't think you're familiar with that._

**Ouch. I have you know that I have an immense understanding of exquisite vocabulary.**

_Yeah? You have a soft spot for writing, Miller?_

**You should read some of my stuff. Maybe you'll become my number one fan. x**

_In your dreams._

After a few minutes, he didn't reply to her note. Not that she really had an issue with that, anyway. After all, what was the point of being in class if she wasn't going to pay attention?

Jess heard a ruffling of papers from behind her and quizzically looked from the corner of her eye.  _No._ She turned back toward the board.  _Focus, Day. He's trying to distract you._

Instead of a post-it appearing on her desk, she felt something slide under feet. Glancing down, she saw several pages all attached together. In bold letters, she could see the title  **"The Pepperwood Chronicles Draft #1"** Looking up at the teacher who was distracted teaching, Jessica reached down and placed it on her lap. Flipping the page, she saw the list of characters:  **Julius Pepperwood, ? Knight, Schmith, Gator, Gay Dog, Lady Diamante, and Bayou Sue.**

Another note was tossed on her desk, the girl reaching over and unfolding it.

**It's a short read since I just started it. Also, I don't want to see any pen marks on this. I don't need you critiquing my _masterpiece_.**

For some reason, her eyes couldn't leave the question mark that was supposed to be a character name.

_You can't think of a character name I see?_

**Nope. But I think I may know it now. I'll have to see if it fits first.**

_Huh._

The bell rang once again as everyone began closing their books and standing up, leaving almost all at once. Jessica's gaze lingered on Nick's before he smiled cunningly at her, walking out of the room. Her eyes reverted back to the story he gave her, and inwardly sighed.

Was she really going to read this? She didn't even like the boy.

But she did like a good read.

That night, Jessica flopped on her bed with the attached papers and scanned the title again.  _Let's see how good of a writer Nick Miller is..._  She thought to herself as she flipped to the first page. How many pages  _was_  this anyway? She flipped through until she found the last page. Okay, so it was 97 pages.  _This_ is a short read? It wasn't like a playwright either.

_Dammit Miller..._

A couple of hours went by as she intently read this novel, and Jess had to say, this wasn't bad. A little wild for a story written by a 17 year old, but really clever. What intrigued and bothered her the most was that one of his characters were held anonymous whenever they would talk or do something important. The question marks were practically glaring out of the pages. Checking the page number, she was already on page 90.

Was Julius Pepperwood supposed to represent Nick? They had some similar characteristics, but she still didn't really know this Nick boy all too well. Were all of these characters based off real people? These are questions she could be asking Nick, but that would just give him more satisfaction into thinking she actually liked it. Laying on her back and reading this also made her wonder if she was ever going to be placed into this book.  _Don't be ridiculous Day. He has known you for about two days, there's no way you'd be relevant in this 'short read'._

The book wasn't even  _close_  to finished. By the looks of this rather unique plot, there was no way he could just end it on page 97.

After finishing the last seven pages, she thought about giving Cece a call. She never actually mentioned this Miller guy to her, so she might as well spill the tea now. This was definitely going to be a game changer, though. Whenever Jess even mentioned a boy, Cece would become majorly hyped and would hit her with interrogation-odd, because that was normally Jess's job.- And after it would finish, it always ended with a bottle of water and Advil-because  _man,_ the questions this girl could come up with. You wouldn't believe.

Her thumb hovered over the call button below Cece's contact. It was already late, and although she would answer at the first ring, Jessica bit her lip hesitantly.

She could wait a day or two. What was the rush?

* * *

The next morning, Jess walked over to Nick Miller, who was already seated. Was he expecting her already? She wanted to slap the smugness out of this boy. She flopped the papers down on his desk, and raised her brows.

"Not bad, Miller. Did you finally think of the character name?" Jessica watched as amusement filled his face.

"I did."

"Well, what is it?"

He gestured her to lean closer, so Jess obliged. When she was close enough, his lips moved closer to her ear, whispering softly and causing a chill run down her spine. She despised that feeling.

"That's a spoiler. You'll just have to wait."

The blue-eyed girl frowned and leaned away from him, slumping down in the seat in front of him.

What a school year this was gonna be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls give some kudos and comments my lovelies. Sorry its been a while x -Cali


	3. innocence

A week or two went by, and Jess was finally preoccupied with her life. She didn't find herself complaining about school as much since she finally grew used to her classes. This didn't really surprise her as much as it did Cece, because when Jess finally called her to check in and update, one of the first things said was,  _"Look, I don't want to jinx anything, but you're not actually complaining... About anything._ "

The brunette smiled, shrugging her shoulders as the phone remained pressed against her ear. "I took your advice."

" _That's rare."_

"Don't be an ass!" Jess frowned, pushing her shopping cart in front of her. She stopped in her tracks when one of the wheels made a very obnoxious squeaking noise, groaning to herself. "Defective shopping carts."

Cece smirked at her best friend seemingly suffering through life again. " _Now it sounds like you. And since when did you take charge in_  adulting?"

Jessica rolled her eyes as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Never. I'm at Staples. I needed to pick up a few things for school." This should be a surprising thing, really. A senior shopping for school supplies? Most seniors just show up with a pencil. A singular pencil. However, this was Jessica Day: Future teacher and determined student.

" _For what?_ " She could hear Cece stifling a laugh over the phone and inwardly sighed.

"Pencils, highlighters, whiteout,.. post-its,... pens,-"

" _Jessica, what are you hiding?_ "

The brunette stopped abruptly, the shopping cart basically hitting her gut. Jess let out another groan, resting her head on her palm and leaned on the cart. "What are you talking about?"

" _The last time you said a word like that, you were all like, 'My boyfriend is going to spend the night at my house and we're going to watch movies, eat food, and ..._ sl _ee_ p"

She scoffed at her crazy best friend. "How could you compare such a subliminal word like sleep to the word  _post-its?_ You've lost your mind." Damn, her best friend was good. How the hell could she read into things this well? This almost pissed Jess off. The brunette had to step up her game.

" _You're an odd one, Jessica Day._ " Her friend dismissed her last remark, continuing on their conversation. "Why do you need all of those things? It's not like you're really going to use any of them."  _Yeah, tell that to the guy that sits behind me._

Jessica pressed her lips together. "You don't know that. I am a very crafty person, you know."

" _Crafty as in that time you burned yourself with the hot glue gun?"_

"You  _never_  told me it was already on!"

Cece laughed over the phone, annoying Jessica further. "Let me get my shopping done. And let me live my life!" She said, making the last part louder before hanging up.

She pushed her shopping cart on as she directed herself toward the crafts aisle. As she slowly made the turn, about to go into the aisle, she immediately stopped the cart short, almost hitting herself again in the process. Her eyes spotted a certain brown haired boy bent down, checking out different types of paper. Jessica could feel her heart pacing in her chest as she slowly backed up with caution, clear out of Nick's sight.

However, she was curious...

Jessica moved forward ever so slightly without the cart, peeking into the aisle. She watched as Nick threw the package of paper in his shopping cart and continued looking around. Wow, how interesting. A regular person shopping for regular things.

As she watched his eyes scan the aisle, Jessica smiled when she saw him notice the post-its. A small grin appeared on his lips as well, picking up two small packages and tossing them into the cart. The fact that they were both registering the same thoughts almost caused her to laugh gleefully.

Nick resumed moving the cart, scaring Jess as she quickly ran to her cart, trying to turn around as fast as she could.

Unfortunately, life didn't want it to work out that way.

She tried turning the cart, and in the process of doing so, Jessica's cart hit Nick's. Almost immediately, their eyes met as Jessica sunk her teeth down on her bottom lip. When the familiarity dawned on him, a smirk lifted his face. She sighed, running a hand over a strand of hair.

"Hey Miller."

"Fancy running into you." He replied, his eyes shifting from her to her shopping cart. She noticed he was staring at the post-its which caused her cheeks to darken. Nick's smirk only widened as his amusement grew bigger. Jess stood there painfully, expecting him to say something witty. Spoiler alert: he didn't! Because she blurted out before he had the chance.

"I like to give myself reminders. These aren't for school." She quickly looked at her cart and glanced up at him, attempting at giving him her best ' _i-am-not-predictable'_ face. Unfortunately, she wasn't rocking this expression well.

"...Same reason." Nick said, not even trying to lie as his smile remained stretched on his lips. What beautiful liars they were.

Jess didn't reply, but instead nodded her head awkwardly as she began turning her cart around.

"Hey Day."

She turned her head toward his calling once more, shy but confused.

"I'll be sure to keep you  _posted_  on my novel." He arched his brow, the papers in one hand and a finger gun in the other. Jesus Christ. She sighed dramatically, and rested a hand on her hip, turning to face him again.

"Save your puns for someone who would laugh." She swung her head away from his face. "And your finger guns!" She quickly exclaimed, walking straight out of his way. Jessica smiled to herself, feeling like she handled that encounter pretty well.

But it was not well enough. She didn't get that satisfactory feeling in her stomach like she won some game. It was more of a rain cloud appearing over her head. This was probably far from over.

It was so hard to crack Nick miller. How can one get through to that big thick head of his? He was too smug for his own good, and as much as she tried cracking down his ego, he was indestructible. As Jessica walked away, rolling the shopping cart forward, she slightly turned her face just enough to see if he was still looking at her. She noticed his gaze linger over her for a few more seconds before turning away as well. Minding herself, Jess raised her brows and cleared her throat as she glanced back to the cart-

-that rolled right into a tower of on-sale toilet paper. Jess watched as the tower came crumbling down, toilet paper rolling around the floor. She frowned in disappointment at the rolls and to Stupid Nick Miller. It was all his fault! He should be cleaning this all up-

-"Think fast!" A roll flew through the air as Jess watched, holding out her hands almost immediately and catching it. "Attention deficit?"

Jessica swore she was going to break this goddamn toilet paper roll in her hands. _dontkillhimdontkillhimdONTKILLHIM- too late. game. on._

" _Miller!"_ She cursed, picking up a couple of rolls and throwing it at him. A smile lifted onto his face as he dodged them, throwing some back at her as well. They were creating chaos in an innocent Staples. Why they were advertising toilet paper? Because their prices were going down the toilet. The rolls became to unravel as toilet paper began to create paper trails around the floor. The two started laughing as they realized that the paper went around them in a circle.

"Oh, and to top it off," Jessica bent down to pick up a half finished roll, and stood back up with it. Slowly but humorously, she wrapped some around his neck while adding some to his shoulders. "I have to say, this was a great improvement in your fashion sense." Nick arched his brow, a gleam in his eye as a laugh escaped her lips. "Good, right?"

He pressed his lips together and looked down at the floor and up at her once more. "I walked into that." She continued laughing, her eyes dancing with mirth as she let the next remark spill from her lips.

"I'd help you, but you seem to be pretty  _wrapped_   _up_  in a lot right now." Jessica nodded reassuringly, her cheeks pink from smiling. Nick cleared his throat, biting a smile back as he shook off the toilet paper. She backed up to her cart as she noticed an employee approaching with disappointment written on her face.

While the employee was in the process of lecturing him on store educate, his eyes stayed on hers as if to say,  _you win this one, Day._

* * *

That night, Nick tapped a pencil to his forehead as he stared down at the lined paper in front of him. It was one character name, but what made this female character so important that he couldn't just pick a name out of a hat? Well, he made her someone extraordinary and brave. Someone who isn't afraid to speak her mind and tell it like it is, even when one can't accept it. Who is filled with a natural light that could cause someone to want to do better-to be better. But who could he know that matched these characteristics?

These thoughts drove a specific name past his mind, causing Nick to shake his head incredulously. Just the thought of that one name could create a ten second montage of his relationship-his first love. He could visualize himself falling for her eyes, brushing hands as they'd walked side by side, and kisses being shared on the beach at night. But as months went on, he was reminded of the person that stayed up making drunken calls for the girl never who answered-with a British accent, mind you- conveying his undying love. Nick remembered the endless amounts of texts he'd send-and never got a reply for, leaving him heartbroken. Honestly, he probably had more time being heartbroken about Caroline than being in love with her. Did she even deserve a place in this book?

But when he pictured this female character-he didn't picture ashy blonde hair and sheer problems. This woman didn't radiate off a natural light that sparked individuality. Caroline wasn't much of a leader figure, nor was she really heroic. Nick pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.  _Caroline_ could  _not_  be the woman to fill her shoes. The character would not come from a good inspiration-for he'd recall the uncertainty of her feelings and the times she'd stomped on his heart.

Who could fill these shoes?

Right then, he dropped his pencil and ran a hand over his hair.  _No._  Could _she_?

...But on the other hand, there wasn't anyone there to tell him he couldn't choose her. She was the first person to really have unconditional honesty. The kind that drove him absolutely mad while enforcing his sensibility. She challenged him in any way she could. Even though he still had a lot to learn about her, what was the worst that could happen if she was put to the test?

And for sure as hell, she was certain of what she wanted.

Carefully and while making his heart beat a little faster in his chest, he picked up the pencil and wrote the two words down. He glanced at the print as a small curve of his lip turned up, tracing the letters as they were easy to glide across the paper.

**Jessica Knight.**

The next day, no other than Jessica Day sauntered into the classroom. Nick knew from right where she stepped foot, that she was the right choice for the character. He could see it now: light blue eyes, long brown hair and an endearing smile you could fall for. The glasses she wore added to her image, and she was just as beautiful-or even more so-when the brunette took them off. He paused his thoughts momentarily to check in with himself. Was he admiring her as the character in his book? Or was he-

 _hey_.

The post-it note flew onto his desk, stopping his thoughts. Maybe that was a sign that he had done enough thinking for one day.

_hello?_

The fair skin she inherited had also brought out the rose in her cheeks whenever she grew embarrassed-

_HELLOOOooooO_

She might as well be throwing paper airplanes.

_jello?_

**wow, what's with all the flying post-its? They're getting aggressive, Day.**

_well you weren't answering my damn messages_

**you know, if i could insert a gif right here, it would be Beyonce's, "Why you so obsessed with me?"**

_wow look! another joke that no one laughed at_

**i'm gonna stop replying again.**

_you lie so bad_

_NICK_

_PEPPERWOOD_

_WHY ARE YOU SO PREOCCUPIED_

**What is with all the messages? Are you trying to tell me something**

_uhm no_

_do you want an m &m_

**no... why do you have them?**

_well my mom hides the chocolate from me because she says it gets me crazy but she obviously doesn't know what she's talking about_

**... i agree with your mom.**

_you dont even know her!_

**well if you didn't eat those, you wouldn't be throwing these post-its like they're baseballs. You're gonna poke my eyes out.**

_well on second thought, i should work on my aim._

_what are you so busy with?_

**i thought you wanted to learn**

_we have a sub in case you didn't notice_

**i didn't notice because we never learn shit in here**

_because you're the one always throwing the post-its_

**so you're returning the favor! ;)**

_bye_

**i'm writing Pepperwood chronicles.**

_whats happening in it?_

**Pepperwood is making fun of Knight's last name.**

_what's Knight's first name?_

**none-of-yo-business**

_uhm it should be, im like a top fan thank you_

A smile emerged onto his lips as he stared at the girl who was writing another note. He glanced down again when he noticed her fidgeting movements to pass the note back.

_who makes fun of knights anyway?_

**sick people.**

_now i see why you portray him well_

**are you done mocking me yet? i have great things i should be writing**

_whatevvvvzs_

After the repetitive note after note banters, Jess watched as Nick slid the Pepperwood papers into his backpack as he slid it on his back. With a mischievous gleam in her blue eyes, she sunk her teeth down onto her lip as she slowly raised her hands forward. Subtly, she began walking behind him as he made his way leaving the classroom.

Closer...

She lifted her arms higher, her hands in more of a position to grip the papers. They were almost reaching for the prize as she could practically feel the spoilers reaching her finger tips-

Nick whipped around and caught her wrist with his hand gently. Jess winced at the reaction, feeling her breath hitch in her chest. His touch sent shivers up her spine, prickling her lower back with goosebumps. She shook her head and felt her body reactions exaggerating. Jessica played it off cool by tilting her head back miserably and groaning, "I just want to know the character name."

"You just need to be patient. I'll let you read it eventually, if you're not a consistent pain in my ass." Nick narrowed his brows, some kindness shaping his lips. His eyes drifted to the top of her head, confusing her momentarily. "Oh hey, you got a little..." He trailed off, stepping an inch closer to the girl. Her heart beat jumped as his hands reached out to her, caressing her hair back gently. Nick was way too close for her comfort, for she was able to smell the mint gum he'd been chewing. The boy leaned away with a speck of dust on his finger and smirked. "You had a piece of dust in your hair." He clarified after removing his hands and taking their warmth with him.

Her dazed eyes remained on his as he gave her a smug smile. "See ya later Day. You should get  _that_  checked out." He gestured to the top of his head, a worried yet humorous expression written on his face. Before leaving her presence, Nick gave her a flirtatious wink before turning down the hallway.

The brunette closed her slightly parted mouth when she could feel her feet again. It was as if she was kissed by the freakin' boy! Shaking her head to reality, she ran a hand through her hair as he did, thinking the only words that had been able to register in her mind.

**_what_. was  _that?_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been a while. I'm gonna upload a FLOOD of chapters. :)  
> leave kudos and comments, my lovelies.


	4. obsession?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> filler? but also like not really lmao

Jessica was early to school for a change, happily strutting into the empty classroom and toward her seat. She loved being early-it was her all-time specialty and  _god strike her dead if she wasn't the earliest in this damn classroom_ -

-It took her a couple of seconds to realize that she was in fact  _not_  the first person to arrive. Her happy smile turned into a frown as she set down her backpack onto the floor.  _You've got to be kidding me. Why is this bozo early?_  She primarily didn't notice a person at the desk, because  _why_ would she? Instead, saw a vintage typewriter.

Narrowing her eyes, Jess let out a sigh, wondering if Nick knew what math class was. As far as she knew, one doesn't focus solely on words in math, but the numbers and equations. How did he get this far? This boy never did cease to amaze Jess-yet _piss her off_  at the same time. She could work her absolute ass off to then find this hippy already walking a step ahead of her. It's like he's cheating his way through life-and winning each step of the way.

Soon enough, Nick walked back in the classroom and caught Jess's eyes immediately. He sat down at his seat and placed a piece of paper on the paper table. Before the boy really could begin typing, he noticed Jessica's stare and glanced at her questionably. "Do you know what class this is?"

He glanced at his watch. "Math."

Jess carefully looked at him and faked a concern expression. She looked to the typewriter and then to his confused face, slowly saying, "Do you know what century this is?"

Nick rolled her eyes and ignored her comment, typing  _chapter 4_ onto the paper. "I never thought I'd meet someone more hipster than me."

He didn't remove his eyes from his paper as he replied to her. "Just because I like using typewriters doesn't mean I'm living up to that stereotypical hipster standard." Nick paused typing to add to his comment. "You might be, though."

Ouch, burn. Jess raised her brows and nodded with defeat. Did Miller wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Or were her comments finally beginning to piss him off? Maybe she should back off a little. She considered apologizing to him or changing the subject, but she found an alternative solution. Reaching into her backpack and grabbing something, she popped open the cap.

Nick stopped typing to look at her in slight annoyance, wondering what she could want now. "M&M?" Jess said with innocence in her tone, showing him her mini m&ms bottle. He held back a smile when he saw the delicate softness in her blue eyes and simply nodded, holding out his hand as she tapped the bottle with her index finger and softly poured some for him.

"How do you do it?" She wondered out loud, watching some of the m&ms fall into his hand.

"Do what?"

"Live your life on some sort of secret menu concept."

Nick blinked. "Come again?"

Jessica shook her head and rephrased. "I mean, you look like you've been winning through life. I mean look!" She pointed at his typewriter to prove her point. "You're typing an original story during a math class. Which you're probably going to pass anyway."

She noticed the corners of his lips lift a little as he ran a hand through his hair. "Trust me Day, I'm not winning through life." Jess's eyes shifted to his, curiously wanting the boy to elaborate. Instead of elaborating, he chose to remain silent.

He glanced at her after she closed the cap, Jess watching him down the m&ms like a pro. After a couple of minutes of silence and waiting for class to start, a note flew onto his desk. Nick took a breath, but remained patient as his hands stopped typing. He picked up the post it to read it.

_Hey Miller?_

**Yes, Day?**

Jess huffed and scratched the back of her head shyly as she wrote the next message.

_Look uh, I'm sorry if I've been on your case lately. I really am a good person, I swear._

**And nosy?**

Jess glared at his written remark, about to write down a retaliating response. Luckily for him, another note was passed quick enough.

**However, I know you're a good person, Jessica.**

A small smile appeared back on her lips in no time.

_So, truce?_

Nick spun around in his chair to reply to her written response as everyone started unpacking their backpacks.

"Truce." Just as Jess was about to open her mouth happily to comment, Nick quickly clarified. "But-you still can't read my book." Her smile dropped as she leaned against her chair. Luckily, as she was going to argue, the bell rang for class to start.  _Saved by the bell, Miller. Saved by the bell._

_pls_

**no**

_pls_

**double no.** **stop being a baby. why are you so obsessed with my story?**

_i love books_

**its not even published**

_doesn't mean i can't speculate your story_

**go right ahead**

**but at least pay attention in class, even though I'm not**

_fine._

**good.**

_GREAT._

She threw the note behind her and sighed as Jess focused on her stupid core subject. If this was English class, her teacher would be impressed with how much focus she had around the topic. It wasn't even the plot she was solely intrigued of, but the female character and her name. Why was it such a big mystery? Although for Jess, names must've had to stick to a person enough to write them into a novel.

Perhaps since he wrote himself as Pepperwood, did that mean he wrote certain people into other characters?

And who the hell was Knight? Should she be over analyzing? Probably not.

It didn't stop from furthering her intrigue. Knight probably wouldn't be someone she knew since he was a new student here. Unless he had some scandalous history with someone in her grade-doubtful,- _half were lesbians anyway-_ , then she had no clue. As her focus attempted at learning glorious math factorials, it had other things in mind, like clicking, per say. She couldn't stop hearing a clicking sound after ten minutes of not realizing.

Jessica blew some air out of her mouth in an over-dramatic sigh as she sunk down in her chair. Another part of her also kept screaming to  _stop being nosy. It's his business._  It's his business, and if there's a line in the sand, she shouldn't step over it.

But dammit, she's always digging holes underneath.

He's been here what-almost a month? Nick definitely had more friends than just his post-it-passing buddy every first period. She never really investigated who he cared to hang out with, though. Before Jess could elaborate on those thoughts-she paused. This would be an example of something Cece would be screaming  _no_ over and over again about.

But what was so wrong with her idea? All she wanted to do was see how this hippy socializes, like for example, who he sits with at lunch, who he talks to during some school periods-just the simple things.  _No, that doesn't qualify as borderline stalker. It's not like I'd be doing anything wrong._ She rolled her eyes to herself, shaking her head.

_digdigdigdigdigdigdigdig..._

Nick was watching the show in front of him, smiling in amusement at her very obvious thinking expressions. One second her brow would shift up really high, but then back down into a furrow. Out of all the people he knew in his life, this girl seemed to be the most reactive to about-well,  _everything._ If someone were to make her a TV show, it would be made up of witty remarks and a lot of singing. Not your typical singing in front of an audience, but  _literally_ -to herself.

As the bell rang for next period, he gave the girl a look as he walked out of the classroom. Jess frowned and gripped her backpack on her back.  _This is not over, Miller._  She thought to herself as her feet picked up into a skip as she flew out of the classroom.

* * *

By lunch time, the brunette peeked her eyes into the cafeteria as she stalked around for the boy.  _Where are you, you little hippy._ As Jess peered closer, she almost tripped over her own feet. A person carrying a lunch tray gave her an odd look as he passed on, Jess giving him a harder glare as they began to walk faster.

As she returned to find him, her eyes scanned intently until-voila! Found him. He was spotted walking out of the lunch line, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Nick's eyes seemed to lighten at the sight of his friends, smoothly moon-walking toward them and sitting down at the table. Jess, currently puzzled at his course of actions, continued watching as he began to converse with his hippy friends. A brunette appeared next to the girl, a rigid line set on her lips. "If you're wondering what that smell is coming from, it's that table over there."

Jess shrugged. "What smell?"

The girl raised her brows with surprise. "The Ganga?"

Unfortunately, Jessica didn't follow. "The... What?"

"Cannabis?  _Weed?_ " She crossed her arms at the innocent girl. "When I become a cop, I swear I'll be busting those people left and right."

A smirk appeared on Jess's lips as she held out her hand. "Jessica Day."

The brunette smiled back and shook her hand gladly. "Aly." The two both nodded as Aly walked away to her lunch table. She could hear the girl's rather loud remark from the distance, smirking as she heard: "Cannabis, huh?"

The bell for last period finally blared as teenagers filled the hallways to walk out of school, Jess gripping her satchel while digging in her pocket for her keys. As she opened a separate school door-away from the annoying clutter of smelly teenagers-, she eyed the hippy once more who happened to be sitting by himself. She could just make out the clear smoke floating from his mouth as her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"It's because of your lunch table, that I know what the word  _Ganga_  means now."

Nick released the remains of the smoke and smirked. "Relax, Day. I only use vape pens. My friends are the ones with the ziplocks of 'oregano'" He shrugged off as he put air quotes around the last word. "Plus, do I  _stink_  of marijuana to you?"

"How should I know?"

"Come closer." He gestured casually, but Jess reluctant to do so. When he noticed her hesitating, he rolled his eyes. "I don't bite,  _Jessica_."

She tensed at the way he said her name as Jess subconsciously took a step closer and inhaled through her nose. He took another inhale through the pen he held and breathed it out after the next few moments.

The brunette sniffed carefully and shifted her eyes to the boy. "Cucumbers?"

"It's flavored. See? They don't all smell bad." The girl blinked, clearly understanding her lack of education around smoking. After standing in silence for a few moments, Nick softened. "Do you want to try it?"

Her cheeks turned a bright pink as she shyly looked at the ground. "I don't know how to." The boy's eyebrow arched in confusion as he leaned forward.

"You've never smoked before? Like anything?"

Her face felt like it was burning from embarrassment as she glanced down at her feet. " _No_." She said roughly.

"Here." Nick patted the seat next to him, moving his typewriter out of the way. "Sit." Jess breathed inwardly as she sat next to him, leaving some space between the two. "So here's the vape I have." She took notice of the flash-drive-looking thing in his hand. "There's a little button on the top that you're gonna want to press when you take a drag." Jess bit down on her lip nervously. Pausing, he looked at her nervously. "You... know what a  _drag_  is, right?-"

"Okay, I'm not that behind, Miller."

Nick nodded immediately. "Good." Slowly, he lifted the pen to his lips and showed her step by step. After bringing the pen out between his lips, he exhaled as the white smoke flew out. Jess watched carefully and raised her brows with intrigue. He noticed this and smiled as he eyed at the girl again. "Brave enough?"

He handed her the pen and Jess had to ignore the fact that his lips were just on it as she slipped it between her lips. Her fingers pressed down on the button as she inhaled slowly.

Nick watched as she attempted to inhale the vape, but chuckled as Jess grew into a fit of coughs. "I probably could have told you that might happen." He said as she furrowed her brows, coughing away the smoke that came out of her mouth.

"That-cough-would have been-cough- helpful to know." She handed him the pen and held her chest. "Never again."

"For a second there I thought we could've been vaping buddies too." Nick pouted sarcastically.

"Go finish your story, ya jerk." She wiped her mouth, standing up and walking over to her car. "And let's just stick to  _post-it note communication_!"

"Will do, Kn-Day!"

Jess winced as she dropped her keys in front of her car. Nick snapped his head to her direction, mentally cursing at himself for almost slipping another last name.

"What was that?"

Nick panicked, so he yelled out, "Ya ninny!"

He smiled as she rolled her eyes, went into her car and drove out of her spot. Jess bit back a smile as she honked when her car passed the bench the boy sat at. Nick's gaze lingered on her driving car as Jess watched through her rear view mirror, wrists clenching on the wheel.

Damn, did he make her crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more to come soon :)

**Author's Note:**

> This may be a pretty short chapter, but it's only because I had an insanely long writing hiatus since I finally finished my book of oneshots for Lucaya [available on Wattpad if any of yall are interested, my account is CaliTacui :)]. But seriously I need your feedbacks and critiques. I know New Girl recently just ended, but I thought starting a cute AU would bring back some giddy feelings for the fandom.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Favorite/Review below my lovelies.
> 
> -Cali


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